It was on YouTube that Benjamin Hornstein found he could bring his world of fantasy to life.
The 37-year-old Arlington man staged online screenings portraying his daydreamed battle for the separation of church and state, and his investigation into McLean Bible Church, according to court documents filed in Alexandria’s federal court.
But his fantasy was popped Jan. 19 when Hornstein posted a video of himself waving a gun. He claimed to be saving an Asian woman, who was pictured wearing a gag, from the brainwashing she’d received at the hands of a gang of Christians. Police were alerted, and Hornstein was arrested on a charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
Hornstein pleaded guilty to the charge in March and faces up to 10 years in prison when he’s sentenced today.
His attorney, however, argued in court documents that Hornstein should receive a lower sentence of one year and a day. Hornstein, the attorney argued, should spend his sentence in a medical facility where he can receive treatment for paranoid schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. According to court documents, Hornstein was born a “blue baby” with his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck. He developed normally, but by 15 started suffering from mood swings and tried to kill himself.
In a letter to U.S. District Judge James Cacheris, Hornstein’s half sister wrote: “Benjamin grew up in a dysfunctional and often abusive household.” That experience, along with his mental illness, led Hornstein to develop what she called “a rich fantasy life.”
All of which left the half sister “convinced that in his heart, Benjamin believed he was protesting a church that, by its actions, did not deserve tax exempt status and other privileges.”
Hornstein had no ammunition for the Colt 10 mm semiautomatic pistol he used in the video, court documents said. A friend had given him the weapon to use as a prop.
But prosecutors wrote in court documents that the videos “alarmed” watchers, whose complaints caused police to react as if there was a hostage situation.
“Simply put, the defendant’s possession of firearms and his public display of such firearms on the Internet was intended by him to be serious and alarming,” prosecutors wrote.
Despite that, prosecutors argued Hornstein should receive a sentence in the lower range, “given his personal background.” They’re asking for 1 1/2 to 2 years in prison.
